Process for reclaiming used oil



@et 2, E923.,

J. R. MILLER PROCESS FOR RECLAIMING USED OIL Filed Jan 7 1921 2 sheets-sheet JRMILLBB provide a process menne on. a, 1923..

UNiTED n Il lli,

Application med January?, 1991. Y Serial Eo. 435,675.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. ze i w a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and use u1 Improvements in Processes for Reclaiming Used Gil, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improved process of reclaiming oil, particularly lubricating oil of any kind, and especially those oils used in internal combustion engines. A

This application is a continuation as to common subject matter of my application Serial No. 271,242 for apparatus and procees for reclaiming oil, led January l5, 1919, which terminated in Letters Patent November 23, 1920, No. 1,359,614.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved process whereby lubricating oils, such as the oil drained from the cranh7 cases of internal combustion engines may -be reclaimed and made fit for use.-

A further object ofthe invention is to Se treat the oil that the dirt will be coagulated, the volatile hydrocarbon with which the oil is contaminated will bedriven o@ without the formation of emulsions durin the process, and without su Stantial change in the composition of the reclaimed oil, thereby producing a,l

product which is to all intents and urposes the equivalent ofnew unused oil.

A further object olf the invention is to by means of which the oil may be economicall treated with a coagulating reagent which is relatively cheap and which may be obtained anywhere.

@ther objects and advanta es orn the invention will appear in the fo lowing specification and the novel :features ot the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

he apparatus for carryin into eect is illustrated in t i drawings, in which,

nigure i e. central sectional through the oil container;

-Figure 2 is a side view of the container and storage' tank, an intermediate lter being shown in section.

my invention e accompanyview causing1 anyclosed at its bottom and .is supported by means of a bracket 26 .and being spaced from Athe a casing 1, having .a steam jacket 2., The

latter is provided with a steam inlet 3 which may be eontroll by a thermostat d, and i i pipe 5 near' which is provided with a drain the bottom thereof. The bottom of the casing '1 is ot conical sha-pe, as shown 'at 6. The drain pipe 7 is arranged to discharge from the bottom and is 'provided with a valve 8. The top of the casi 1 vis open, but it is 'arranged to be closed by means of a eover 9 of conical shape, having an outlet pipe 10 at its top for ermitting the escape of volatile matter wit in the casing. Handles 1l are provided for removing tlie cover when desired. steam coil 12 is disposed inthe bottom as shown in the drawings, this ooil being provided with an inlet pipe 13 controlled by a valve 14, and having an outlet pipe 15 provided with a drip valve 1t.

A. steam inlet pipe 17 has its inner end bent upwardly as shown at 18, being dieposed in a tubeor sleeve 19, this tube being at a oint above the normallevel of the oil. gommunicating with the tube 19 isl a pipe 20 which is provided with perforations 21. Gommunication between the pipev 20 and the tube i9 is controlled by means or the valve-22. A pipe 23 extends down- Wardly toward the bottom and also communicates with the tube 19, and is controlled by means of the valve 2li. Near the top of the casing l isI a plate 25 which or in any otherA suitable manner, this plate serving as a spl-ash plate, as described later, walls of the casing to permit ree'aecess of the volatile portion of the matter within the casing from the body of the casin to the top thereof. An operating rod 2 wardly through the splash plete, and is used to manipulate the valve 22. A similar rod 28 affords a means for c manipulating the valve 2d,

3 is a detail view of one o the open at its topentends up- V lli I the closed steam The cone shaped bottom 6 is yrovided with a pocket 29 through which/a rain pipe 30 extends. ln Fi re 5 l have shown a detailed view 'of t e upper end of the drain pipe 30." As Willbe seen it is rovided with a theaded bushing 31 errang to receive a threaded pipe or nipple 32. The upper end of the nipple is provided with ahead 33 which has a threaded opening arranged to receive a screvv plug 3d having a semi-s herical top. 'lhe plug is rovided `With a s ot 35 arranged to enga e a ey or iu 36 extending through the ni` p e. A han le 37 is provided tor manipu ating the plug 3d. From the tore ein-g description of the variousI arts of the evice, the operation thereof may he readily understood. The dirty oil is conveyed into the casing or receiver 1 hy any suitable means, the top 9 being removable lor this urpose. Steam is turned into the steam jacket 2, this jacket heing provided with a steam gauge 38. 'Steam is also admitted into coil 12 in the bottom ol the reclainier. The oil in the casing or receptacle is allowed to heat up to a temperature hetvveen 210 de ees Fahrenheit and 220 degrees Fahrenheit; When the oil has reached the desired temperature, steam is admitted through the pipe 17 to the steam jet and at this point the valve 22 is manipulated so as to cause oil todovv through the pertorations 21 at various levels into the pipe 20, and thence into thejet pipe .19, being drawn through these pipes by the action ot the steam. The pipe 23 at this time is closed by means ot the valve 24. "lhis steam jet is allowed to operate from one to Ytvvo hours, or until the oil in the container has reached the desired llash point, When this llash point has been reached the valve 17 is closed, shutting olli the steam, and the valve 22 is also closed. From the time that the steam jet is turned on until it is turned ed again, the temperature of the oil is maintained at trom 210 de renheit to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. When the steam jet is turned od the oil is allowed l to cool hy cutting ed the steam to the steam lli 'titi 4temperature of jacket 2' and the closed coil v12. en the the oil has fallen to 180 degrecs Fahrenheit, a soap solution is added to the oil in the container. l lind this ste oli slight cooling to he heneicial but not a solutely essential. An suitable animal or vegetahlesoap ma e used. ll prefer to malte this solution y dissolving the soap in hot Water in the proportions of one pound ot soa for tour gal ons of hot Water. From one tardive pounds of the soap may he used for each one 'hundred gallons of oil to he reclaimed, the exact number of pounds of soap per one hundred gallons ot oil depending on the amount of foreign matter in the.

dirty or used oil. ll also may use soap powder, that those' soap powders lmown in.

ees Fahpum ed through assenso commerce containing a percentage of fatty acid in chemical combination with an alkali and with an excess ot free alkali', -such as soda ash or salsoda. Y

When the soap'solution is to be added the valves 17 and 24 are opened, and thev steam jet causes a circulation of the oil and soap solution. 'lhe action of the steam is to project the liquid up against the splash plate 25. ln the first use'o the steam jet, i. e., before the soap solution is introduced, the

`hot steam coming into contact with the oil tends to vaporize any ol. the volatileimpurities such as gasoline, and the vapors iind their Way up past the splash plate and out of the pipe 10. splash plate, it tends to break upv or spread out into line spray, thus permitting the steam to have access to all portions thereof, so that the volatile matter is quickly vaporized. lVhen the soap solution is added, the same etect is obtained, that is tosay, solution into contact with all the portions Aoli the oil through the agitation' of the latter, and more especially because of the proen` As the oil is thrown against the it brings the i jection .of the soap solution and oil against the splash plate. 'l`he soap solution tends to coagulate the dirt and other foreign Inat-` ter in the oil, and this coagulated dirt gravi.

tates toward the bottoni.4 When the coagulation ot the dirt is complete, the valves 17 and 2 4; are closed, and steam is again admitted into the jacket 2 andthe coil 12, and the temperature of the oil in the reclaimer is vraised to 210 degee's Fahrenheit to 220 degrees Fahrenheit and maintained until all the moisture present in the oil is driven oli?. When the oil` is moisture tree, the steam to the closed coil 12 is shut oli, and the thermostatdis regulated to maintain a temperature of the oil at degrees Fahrenheit to degrees Fahrenheit until the coagulated dirt and foreign matter is settled to the bottom of the reclaimer.

'lhe live steam introduced through the injector serves toreduce the vapor tension'ot the light h dro-carhons, as well as to rovide heat in or er to drive od the low boiling hydro-carbone with which the used oil is contaminated. Used oils other than those normally employed in gasoline engines, Which do not contain absorbed gasoline and other lightNhydro-carbons may be agitated with air instead of with steam, as it is not necessary to volatilize the light hydrocarbons to restore the oil to its original condition. For this urpose air may be introduced throu h t e pipe 17 in the place of steam. ln that case the injectorvwould work as an air litt pump.

Should it so `happen emulsify when it comes live steam in passn that used cil does in contact with the through orf.Ik 'being the injector, the emulsion will hrolrenvvhen it falls hack, after hitlil@ lll-d las assenso ting against the splash plate into the body of the oil which is maintaine at a4 temperature above 210 de rees Fahrenheit.

`The injector, eit er when used'as a steam injector or air lift serves to circulate the oil and also entrain t-he coagulating reagent which is used.

Branch for entraining the oil, extends high enough to prevent circulation of sepafposed preferably of a lilter cloth dispos@ on the interior of a wire screen, and effecp tively removes any foreign matter that may 35 engagesthe key 36, -when the Anipple 32y have been carried over. The oil from the filter passes into the mainstorage tank 45.

In drawing od the oil, the cocks 39 are tested successively from the bottom upward, until one is found discharging oil with no sludge, when it, or those above it, are used to drive of the pure oil.

In order to permit the oil to be drawn of below the cocks 39 at varying height, I provide the oil draining apparatus already described. Normally the screw plug 34 fills the top of the nip 1e 32. The surfaces of the plugs 34 andt e head 33 are rounded so as to prevent accumulation of sludge on the top thereof. Now, when it is desired to drain oil below 'the cocks 39, the screw lug 34 is screwed until it is free of the he 33. It is then lowered and turned until the slot may be screwed into or o'ut of the pipe 30, thus decreasing or increasing its eective length so that the oil may be drained from any level within the ed'ective reach of the nipple. 1n order to closethe nipple it -is onl necessary to draw up the screw plu and7 turn it until the opening has beenclose r Among the advantages secured by the process set forth above is the fact that the oil,

' although agitated, is kept from formingan emulsion withthe water by the heat, w ile at the same time the heat is not sucient to cause the breakin up or the disintegration of the oil itself. .forms in the bottom o the receiver, may be drawn off from time to` time by opening the drain pipe at the bottom of the receiver.

1. The herein described proce of rehe coagulated mass which' claiming waste lubricating oil from gasoline engines, which consists of heating the oil,

injecting steam into the oil whereby the particles of oil are' separated and the volatile matterv is driven od', adding a soap solution to the oil and injecting steam whereby. the

-dirt arid foreign matter is coagulated maintaining the temperature-,to expel water, and separating the solids from the oil.

2. The herein described prooe of reclaiming oil, which consists in steaming theoil at a temperature of approximately 210 F. to 220 F. until it has the desired dash point, cooling it to 180 F. and adding a soap solution and permitting it to Asta-nd until the foreign matter is in removable condition, raising the temperature to about 210 F. to 220 F. and maintainin "it there at until the moisture has been ,riven od and then lowering the temperature and maintaining it at about F. to 180 F. to settle the foreign matter. 

